Canal Regulations

Here are a few of the Canal Regulations that boats must carry on board when travelling the Heritage Canals, such as the Rideau Waterway and Trent-Severn Waterway. The Safe Boating Guide (PDF) can be downloaded from Government Directory: Transport Canada, as paper copies are no longer produced.

• If a channel is only wide enough for one boat, two boats cannot pass through it -- no kidding!! That is obvious, but it's more important to know that the boat going downsteam gets to pass through the narrow channel first and the other boat must wait. This is based on the general rule of "manoeverability", which most boating "rules of the road" adhere to.
• Part 2, Section 7:
  (a)No one can do anything that unreasonably disturbs or interferes with any person's use or enjoyment of the Rideau Canal;
  (b) No acting in a way that will endanger the safety of others using the canal;
  (c) A noise curfew between the hours of 11pm and 6am and,
  (d) No fishing from a bridge over a navigation channel.
• Section 10:
  (a)No person shall in a navigation channel or within 100 metres of a structure, water-ski, ride a tube or knee-board, engage in an activity that involves being towed behind a vessel or operate a vessel engaged in any of the above;
  No diving, jumping, scuba-diving or bathing in a navigation channel.

That pretty well takes care of just about everything that you might see on a busy weekend on the canal. I always thought it was dangerous to swim in the Rideau near Manotick with so many boats pulling skiers, kids on tubes and jet-skis -- all going very fast. The river is narrow and you can swim in the "weeds" by shore or endanger your life farther out. Now I find out that "bathing" in the "channel" is illegal anyway! I wonder where the channel boundaries are when there are no spar buoys?

The Ontario Provincial Police cruise the canal looking for people breaking various liquor laws, speed laws, no-wake zones, as well as mandatory equipment laws and the canal regulations. (They suggest that if you see a boater breaking any of these regulations, you should note their registration numbers and report time and location to the police.)

For some fines, you don't have to go to court, but the fines are not trivial. You can be fined up to $400 for any of these offenses. You have better hope the officer is in a nice mood that day!

Ontario law says that boats must not exceed 10 kilometres an hour (6.2 mph, 5.4 kts) within 30 meters (100') of shore (size of a basketball court). This is to protect swimmers, shoreline, and wildlife.

Here are the buoys you will see in inland waters. In commercial waters, much larger navigational aids are used. Get a copy of Aids to Navigation from your chart dealer or online. Canada also uses yellow and black cardinal buoys marking the direction of underwater dangers.

If you plan to use the St. Lawrence Seaway locks, find information in our Government Directory: Canada/U.S. or Parks Canada. You may also find St. Lawrence to Lake Champlain by Kayak of interest.

Canadian Buoyage System:

Daymarks (often on bridge spans and harbour entrances):